


Watch the Throne

by dodo3000



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), Sherlock - Fandom
Genre: Death, M/M, Sherlock AU, fashion - Freeform, phanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-03
Updated: 2015-05-09
Packaged: 2018-03-28 20:16:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3868354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dodo3000/pseuds/dodo3000
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan is a damaged man as his life companion Phil has died. However he is looking for someone to share his large apartment with. One day he meets an old friend of his, PJ, in the park. PJ lives in America and is just visiting. However he tells him that he knows someone who would be interested to be Dan's new roommate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting an old friend

"No no no Phil NO!" Dan sat up straight in his bed, cold sweat making him shiver. Even five years after Phil's death, he still got nightmares. He often wondered how he could go on living on his own, but miraculously he found himself going through the motions, day in day out. Tears streaming down Dan's eyes, he got out of bed and into his shower.

There wasn't much of Phil's stuff left in the house; his family of course got most of it. But Dan had managed to hold on to a few stuffed animals, which he'd placed carefully in several spots in the house where he would otherwise feel devastatingly lonely. A lion on the couch, a blasted Furby next to the television, a Totoro on the kitchen sink, and another lion next to his pillow.

Dan rarely went outside. 'Old habits die hard' he would think, although staying inside with his soul mate had been so completely different than being home alone all the time. He barely saw his family. Once he got out of the shower, he slipped on black skinny jeans and a black t-shirt. He straightened his hair and applied some hairspray. He looked at himself in the mirror. 'These bags under my eyes are unacceptable' he thought and decided to go outside to buy some concealer.

It was a sunny October day and Dan took the route through the park on his way to the drug store. The strange sensation of sun on his face and the wind in his hair, surrounded by sounds of chirping birds made him stop for a moment. He closed his eyes and just stood there for a while and took deep, steady breaths.

"Dan?"

Dan opened his eyes with a little shock. Was that..

"Dan! It is you! Fancy seeing you here, outside of all places"

"Peej? I thought you were.."

"I know, I'm supposed to be in Hollywood making films", PJ smiled. "But I'm on a holiday and what better place to go to than good old London?"

It really was PJ, Phil's old friend. He had cried the loudest at the funeral. But he had his wife to support him and even though he was still a YouTuber, he mainly focused on his directing career. He'd already received some awards for his work and his fame was growing. Dan was glad to see him. Because even though his face brought back so many memories, it also felt like Phil was somehow closer again because of it.

Dan and PJ chose to get caramel macchiatos at the Starbucks nearby but returned to the park to enjoy the weather some more. They sat down on a bench, basking in the sunlight.

"How are you guys doing?" Dan shot a half-smile at PJ. This felt so strangely normal, talking to someone, let alone PJ. When was the last time he had seen sunlight at all? Dan didn't remember.

"Sophie and I just finished post production on our new movie, she's shopping with the kids right now- WHOA look at those squirrels!" PJ pointed to the left of them and three squirrels were running around, and then sprinted up into the trees. PJ laughed but when he redirected his attention back to Dan, his voice was softer. "What about you Dan?"

"I'm looking for a smaller flat as I can't bear to live.. there much longer"

"But you belong in that flat" PJ blurted out. His hand shot up and he kind of smacked himself in the face while putting it before his mouth. "Dan I'm sorry.. I meant, you could ask someone to share your flat?"

"It's okay", Dan said with a grave face. "I did belong there.. But now it's just too big for me. And besides, who'd want me as a flatmate?"

PJ chuckled.

"What?" Dan asked.

"You're the second person who's said that to me today".

"Who's the first?"


	2. Enter Kanye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Former rap star Kanye West is a brilliant fashion designer and poet but due to his infamy nobody wants to collaborate with him and after the divorce he is faced with huge financial difficulties, not to mention he has become a recluse. PJ takes Dan to the tiny studio Kanye rents, and before Dan knows it, he's flatmates with Yeezy.

"Why are you taking me to Edmonton?" Dan asked warily as he and PJ walked from the station into a grimy neighborhood.

"You'll be quite surprised", PJ said and he looked pleased with himself. Dan felt slightly annoyed but he'd forgotten all about the reason why he had left his house this morning. It was the first time outside for him in months. After a while they took a left turn and PJ rang the bell at a dark house which had the lower windows shut with triplex boards. The door opened however and PJ nudged Dan inside, and up the narrow stairs. A beat and baseline they had already heard outside was growing louder and louder. But then Dan saw him.

Dan stopped dead in his tracks.

"Peej!" said the African American man who had just been drawing on a large canvas. Dan and PJ had entered a good size studio, fashion design sketches scattered all over the floor, an immaculate sound system blasting the drum & bass, art on the walls that was far too expensive to be in a bad part of London like this. The man lowered the volume of the music, but only slightly. "Who's this fellow?" He gestured to Dan, who still couldn't believe his eyes.

"It's an old friend of mine, Dan Howell" PJ said and apparently he and the man were friends because PJ casually walked to the fridge and got champagne out. He filled three glasses and handed them to his artist friend and to Dan.

"So PJ check it out, my new inspiration is Rodin and his appreciation for the female body". The man walked to his couch and got an iPad. "Damnit! The battery is empty, of course this is just my luck. The great Kanye West can't even show his friend his new inspiration! This is my life now. God must really hate me". He said that dramatically but took a sip of his champagne all the same.

Hearing the name spoken out loud made Dan snap out of his trance. He was in the same room as Kanye West. What had happened to him? Why did he live here now? Dan never read gossip articles but even he had picked up some of the scandal the former rap-star had gotten himself into. But still..

"Um, you can use my phone", Dan heard himself say. He would have never let anyone even touch his phone except maybe Phil, but this was different. This was a living legend he was talking to! Dan was freaking out. Kanye took the golden iPhone 7 from his hand and showed him and PJ some truly magnificent sculptures of giant vaginas, apparently revered highly in French art culture.

"You know what I appreciate about Auguste Rodin?" Kanye asked. "He is obviously a master, but he tried time and time again to get into prestigious art schools and got rejected. But did that stop him from rising to greatness? No! And I intend to do the same. Nobody wants to collaborate with me anymore, but I've chosen my new path, with or without help. I will revolutionize the whole fashion industry". Kanye smirked. "And then, the world".

Only Kanye West could say these things without a shred of irony and get away with it. And he did. In that moment, Dan truly believed him. The three men finished their champagne and PJ explained that he had met Kanye when he was looking for someone to make the soundtrack for his new movie. Their creative minds had recognized each other and they had become friends immediately. And it had been PJ who had sparked the idea in Kanye to flee the hostility of the United States, not to mention his ex-wife for a while and secretly take up residence in London.

"Why don't you go into fashion, Dan Howell?" Kanye asked suddenly, catching Dan completely off guard. "You have a very strong sense of style and your YouTube career isn't going anywhere".

"How did you.." Dan started to ask but Kanye interrupted him.

"You have an old iPhone 7, that model was a must-have for young Hollywood a few years ago. But clearly you're not young Hollywood. So why would you have been able to afford a phone like this a few years ago but you don't have the new model? You seem the right age to be an internet nerd from around 2010. So I'm guessing you're a vlogger, or you were one". Dan's eyes widened. Kanye really didn't joke around when he had boasted about his own genius.

"How do you feel about playing loud music during the night?", Kanye asked Dan, as he handed him back his phone. For a brief moment, their hands touched. Dan was wildly distracted.

"I'm sorry what?"

"I play loud music when I'm thinking, sometimes I don't talk for days on end.. would that bother you? Potential flatmates should know the worst about each other".

"How did you know I was looking for a flatmate?" Dan asked, once again amazed by Kanye's mind.

"I told PJ this morning that I must be a difficult man to find a flatmate for, someone who won't go around telling all his friends I live in London now. And here he is just after lunch with an old friend who's clearly an ex-YouTuber down on cash. it wasn't a difficult leap. Text me the address with that phone of yours I'll be there tomorrow eveining seven o'clock. Now if you don't mind, I have some designing to do"

"They are amazing", Dan said as he looked at a few of Kanye's designs on the ground.

"Thanks! I know" Kanye said, although he smiled and looked genuinely happy that Dan had complimented him. Dan and PJ left and as soon as they were outside, Dan mimicked screaming to PJ. PJ laughed. And then it hit Dan. He only had until tomorrow evening seven o'clock to tidy the apartment. Well shit.


	3. Moving in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanye moves in with Dan and they talk until late at night.

"Bloody hell, compose yourself!" Dan was pacing up and down the hallway, almost nauseously nervous. It was six o'clock and soon Kanye West would be at his door. PJ had told Dan that Kanye had purposefully sought out his obscure studio but living as a hermit was slowly driving him insane. What a strange fate, that he was now miraculously moving in with Dan. 

18:04 o'clock. Time crept by. Dan had spent the whole day cleaning and the apartment looked spotless. The fireplace was lit. The fridge was stocked. But would it be enough? Would Kanye be appalled by the interior? Would he demand to have the house for himself, leaving Dan only with the guest room to live in? 

18:06. THE DOORBELL RANG. Dan was not emotionally prepared at all. He saw a haze of colors swelling up before his eyes. "Focus, Dan, focus", he told himself and opened the door. 

"What's up, roomie!" Kanye joked from downstairs. 

"Mister West!", Dan said, walking down to help Kanye with the three huge black suitcases he had with him. 

"Kanye, please".

They put the suitcases in the living room. "So this is the entertainment area", Dan began the house tour. 

"This house has such a strange layout! I love it", Kanye said. "This could be very nice, very nice indeed. You have a great sense of style Dan, I'm saying it again 'cause it's true". 

Dan laughed nervously. "Really? I mean, if there's one person in the world I would call the authority of style, it's you", he said and immediately regretted it. Why did he have to be such a fanboy?! 

"You know about my contributions to the fashion industry, huh", Kanye said, and Dan was taken aback by the almost desperate tone in his voice. 

"Of course, your Adidas collections were perfection, it's insane that they broke their contract with you! How did that even happen?"

"I don't want to talk about that right now, the thought alone is making me angry!" Kanye's face clouded over for a second. But then he took a deep breath. "I actually appreciate that you know that about me. I'd love to talk about fashion with you, come up with ideas. I need a sounding board". 

"Oh, absolutely!" Dan felt like he was watching himself in third person because this wasn't happening to him, was it? His idol wanting to talk to him for inspiration? About fashion? But they did. Dan and Kanye got on really well. Every so often though, Dan almost brought Phil up in their conversation. It was just a natural thing for him to do. But he was not ready to talk about his feelings. And Kanye never mentioned his ex-wife or his daughter. 

It was 2 am. Dan had cooked Mexican and they had talked pretty much the whole night. "As your bed isn't here yet, you can sleep in mine, and I'll sleep here", Dan said, gesturing to the couch they sat on. "There's another bedroom upstairs but I kind of stuffed all the clutter in there to give you a good impression of the house". Dan giggled. "I purposefully didn't show you that room during the tour". 

"That's awfully nice of you man" Kanye smiled and took another sip of his glass of wine. Two empty bottles stood on the ground next to the couch. Kanye looked Dan in the eyes for a moment. It was like he was reading him. Then he looked down. "Aight, I'll go shower then, see you tomorrow!"

"Good night", Dan said. He didn't have to go to bed yet. Tomorrow night would be another night-shift at Radio 1. Jameela had helped Dan get a job again after a few years' hiatus. Now the show was one of the few things that kept Dan in at least some kind of routine. 

The wine had dulled Dan into a comfortable haze and just the thought of having someone with him in the apartment helped calm him down even further. When was the last time he had talked with someone like this? Immediately Phil's face came to the forefront of Dan's mind. Tears formed in his eyes.


End file.
